There Is No Quick Fix You can’t master your mindset with an easy hack or a quick fix solution. Anyone telling you this, is telling you a lie. Instead, there are simple concepts and strategies that can lead to fast results when you apply them. Within the first month our athletes often get to the First Summit - level 3 on the Mindset Mountain. But this is a ‘Dangerous’ place to settle because you are still susceptible to slipping into old habits and ending up back In the River - level 1.You need to consistently do the work, push yourself, and take ownership of your mental skills. That is why we don’t work with someone for a few weeks or a month, help them get results, and then say “good-luck, see ya later.” Again, if you are just looking for a quick fix where you’ll be done doing the work in one month, then what you are looking for is a pink unicorn that doesn’t exist, and our programs are not for you. Investing Time & Energy is Required As you continue to rise the ranks, elite physical and technical abilities become the standard. But what separates the good from the great is the ability to consistently play in the Zone. Unfortunately, most athletes are not willing to invest the time and energy required to master their mindset. So, you have the opportunity to gain a competitive edge by putting in the work and doing what others won’t. If you are willing to invest the time and energy, then your next step is to find the right coach to guide you up the Mindset Mountain. Pride Can Be Your Worst Enemy Many athletes often pride themselves on being a lone wolf and doing things on their own. But, everyone who has ever achieved greatness, in any area of life, has done so with a team of guides, mentors, and coaches supporting them. So don’t let the pride of trying to climb the Mindset Mountain on your own hold you back - if you could do it by yourself, then you would have done so already. Instead, we encourage you to pride yourself on making the strategic and practical decision to surround yourself with a team of quality coaches dedicated to supporting you. You probably have great coaches supporting your physical and technical skills, but now is the time to add the last and potentially most important piece of your support team - the right Mental Performance Coach. Our quality coaches will get you quick and effective results by identifying your blindspots, personalizing the concepts and strategies, and holding you accountable to doing the work. If you are ready to get started, we look forward to guiding you up the Mindset Mountain so that you can achieve Consistent Elite Performance.

We know how frustrating it’s being in yet another lockdown in Ontario & having to take a step back from the sports we love. However, we also know this doesn’t mean your progress should stop. For those of you that are in another lockdown - this is a mental challenge and it can make you mentally stronger, as long as you lean into it and make the most out of it. In fact, the mantra we adopted since lockdowns have begun is Obstacles Make Us Stronger! To help you lean in and to ensure obstacles make you stronger we made a new CEP Mindset Talk video - here are some key takeaways: 1. Be the Bonfire: A candle is blown out by the wind, but a bonfire requires wind to grow. In this analogy the wind represents challenges and obstacles and the choice you have is whether you are a candle that gets blown out by the wind or you grow to be the bonfire that uses the wind as fuel. 2. Adapt to the Situation: The extra free time from lockdowns gives you the opportunity to spend more time and energy on your mental game. It’s not about being positive, it’s about neutral thinking and creating structure in your days. 3. Take Action: Mental inputs lead to performance outputs. What are you spending your time watching, listening, and reading? What will you get from it? Three fundamental actions: Meditation, Imagery and Reflection.

The Overthinking Paradox - you can't think your way out of overthinking.Yet that's what most athletes try to do, and instead, it only makes it worse!Here are the main reasons why athletes get caught up in The Overthinking Paradox: High Expectations about ResultsSetting high expectations about results (i.e., "I SHOULD achieve...") is a common way of thinking that has costly drawbacks. By doing this your players are essentially setting a trap for their future self. When they don't achieve the results that they think they SHOULD, then they will fall into The Overthinking Paradox. They get frustrated by not meeting their's and others' expectations, and then they tense up and try even harder to control the outcomes. This is called "Forcing It" and it goes hand-in-hand with overthinking. The Need For ControlThe struggle to let go of control is at the root of overthinking. Your players want to have control over the uncontrollables. Rather than listening to their gut, trusting their instincts, and doing what FEELS best, they continue to force the results and try to control the situation. Sports are not a math problem or chess game, they can't control their body to perform perfectly and achieve results. Instead, they need to let go of what they can not control and let their body do what they have trained it to do. Fear of FailureThe bottom line is The Overthinking Paradox is hard for your players to escape because they think failure is bad. So they try to control instead of trust themselves. This leads to failure. Because they failed they try harder and want to control the outcome even more, and the downward spiral goes on and on - a never-ending paradox of overthinking. The good news is your players can escape The Overthinking Paradox. Take Ryder McIntryre for example, during his OHL draft year he felt the pressure to perform and started to worry about the scouts - like many players in their OHL or NHL draft years.He had lots of SHOULDS about his performance, he wanted to control the results and felt that every mistake was all negative (missing the learning opportunities) - not surprising he was in The Overthinking Paradox.But through joining our programs he learned to stop setting expectations about results, let go of the need for control, and train his brain to perceive failure as a learning opportunity. He was able to escape The Overthinking Paradox and, as a result, he improved his performance and was drafted in the 3rd round by the Sarnia Sting: If you find yourself getting stuck in The Overthinking Paradox, then you will really benefit from one of our programs!  

The Confidence Conundrum - why do talented athletes struggle with confidence? Despite putting in the hard work and having the talent, it's common for athletes like you to get stuck in The Confidence Conundrum. There are three main explanations: Major Adversity You are a talented athlete, but you can be sucked into the conundrum when you are hit with significant adversity. This can be experiencing a bad coach, a new team with less playing time, a performance slump, or a major setback (I.e., getting cut, sent down, or injured). You have probably experienced lots of success throughout your athletic career, but like every athlete, you will eventually face major adversity and if you don't have the right mindset this adversity will derail your confidence! The Yo-Yo Effect You are like most athletes if you tie your self-confidence to getting the approval of others and achieving results. The problem with this is as your performance goes up and down, so does your confidence - just like a yo-yo. Plus your self-image is dependent on how others view you instead of your actual abilities. Own Worst Critic Being hard on yourself is necessary for growth and it has helped you get to your current abilities. The problem arises when you are TOO hard on yourself and you are your own worst critic. The key to consistent confidence is having an accurate self-image. As long as you continue to be too hard on yourself then you will stay in The Confidence Conundrum. The bottom line is if your mind is full of self-doubt and you are playing afraid to make mistakes, then you are in The Confidence Conundrum. As a result, you play too safe, hesitate, and significantly underperform. Let's go back to the Race Car example: imagine having a great car but a driver who doubts their ability to pass opponents, is hesitant around corners, and is scared to attack the course - talk about NOT getting the most out of your car - what a waste! The good news is you don't have to stay stuck in The Confidence Conundrum. Take Camaryn Baber for example, he is a really good hockey player, but he wasn't getting much playing time in the OHL - he was on a great team and the coach had him on the fourth line. He was in a Classic Confidence Conundrum Trifecta - frustrated with his situation (major adversity), his confidence was down (yo-yo effect), and he was beating himself up over his mistakes and lack of performance (own worst critic). But after working on his mindset he was able to break out of the conundrum: "I am so much more confident. I hold the puck more. I do what I can in the shifts I get, and I am more positive about hockey overall. I want to go to the rink and get better even more now." He was back to playing like himself and finished the season with 19 points in his last 26 [...]

One of the most common reasons athletes get into their own head is The Results Trap. Here are the three main symptoms that indicate you have fallen into this trap: Performance vs Fun When you were younger sport used to be all about fun, but now you feel it is all about your performance, and the fun you once had playing the sport you love is starting to slip. Which only causes your performance to slip! Results vs Process You know that you need to focus on the process to achieve the results, but you struggle to do so. If you are checking your stats, looking at standings/rankings, and/or constantly thinking about the results - then you have fallen into the trap! Noise vs Calm You struggle to block out the noise in your head. You can't seem to stop worrying about what others think like coaches, scouts, teammates, or parents. You also hold onto mistakes which prevents you from getting a calm mind. All this noise causes you to underperform which creates even more noise! The bottom line is that you are in your own head, your body is too tense, and therefore, you are underperforming (i.e., you are not getting the most out of your car). The good news is there is a way out of The Results Trap! Take Patrick Del Vecchio for example. "Before I was focused on points, in my own head, and playing inconsistently. Now I am stronger mentally and I stay focused on the process. As a result, my points per game really improved." Patrick is a textbook example of someone who had fallen into The Results Trap, but once he started working on his mental game he was able to get out of his own head and start performing at his potential. His massive improvement in numbers says it all: If you have fallen into The Results Trap and are not getting the most out of your car, then you will really benefit from our programs - just like Patrick!

It's common knowledge to focus on your process and not the results, but as a whole our society struggles with this. We want the results so badly that we obsess over them, and this can really hurt our performance. Before the 2016-2017 season MacKinnnon was doing well in the NHL, but he wasn't dominating. After that season he started working with a sport psychologists and redefined success for himself! MacKinnon has been a dominating force in the NHL since. In this video, I explain how to create your own personalized definition of success so you can get in the zone more often and reach your potential!

Have you ever wondered why you can be so hard on yourself at times? Being focused on the negative is important when we experience threats! The reality is, in modern society, there is a lot more opportunity than there is threat. We don't want to get rid of this survival mechanism, what we do want to do is learn how to channel it into a growth mindset. Three Strategies to Build a Growth Mindset: 1) Gratitude 2) Own your wins 3) What did you learn?

Restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic have challenged a lot of elite athletes, especially because most athletes are highly motivated by external results (e.g., wins and points). In this video, I break down 5 strategies that will help you stay motivated despite the pandemic. Think of these strategies as opportunities or open doors. The pandemic has prevented a lot of opportunities and closed a lot of doors for athletes, but there are still some open. If you can find and understand them for yourself, then you will be able to stay motivated and focused for when your season starts.

Taking more risks and playing with more confidence takes practice and willingness to push your comfort zone, but a lot players don't try risky moves because they have a mental block that makes them play too safe and holds them back from reaching their potential. This video discusses: a) The 4 steps to clear mental blocks b) Playing with more confidence c) Taking more risks like Mitch Marner

Mental toughness is key to an athlete reaching their potential, but coaches often overlook the importance of it. In this video, I share 3 effective ways to strengthen your players' mental toughness: 1. Make It Real 2. Provide Strategies 3. Nudge Them Along